Picture of Curtis Ohlendorf feeding the cattle
for a 2008 story in the New York Times

We hope new breeders will find some of these opinions
and information helpful
as they embark on the addictive venture of raising registered longhorns.

Why
Longhorns?
Curtis Ohlendorf grew up on a multi-purpose farm/ranch that included crops such
as corn and cotton and livestock such as chickens, hogs, and commercial cattle.
Even though he moved to Austin to work for the University of Texas for a number
of years, his passion for agriculture remained strong. One day, while at his
cousin’s ranch near Lockhart, he saw a colorful newborn longhorn calf
and was immediately hooked. He knew from that day that he wanted to eventually
raise longhorns on his homestead, and a few years later Rocking O Longhorns
was born. The variety of colors in longhorns has and always will be one of Curtis’s
favorite things about the breed. Looking for a new calf reminds him of looking
for Easter eggs as a child, as he is filled with excitement in anticipation
of learning not only the sex of the calf, but also its color.

The variety of colors was the kindling on the fire that has
burned into Rocking O Longhorns, but there are a number of other things that
make this breed special. Some other benefits of longhorns include ease of
calving, disease resistance, heat tolerance, longevity, superior forage utilization,
lean beef, and of course beautiful horns. At Rocking O Longhorns, we strive
to raise pretty and productive
cattle to be enjoyed by ourselves and other breeders.

Registering
Cattle
We will pay to register cattle purchased from us into the new owner’s
name. In the case of a young bull or heifer, we may be registering the animal
for the first time (and you can choose to change his or her name if you don’t
like the one we have chosen). If the animal has already been registered, we
send in a transfer of ownership to the registry. Whether it’s for a
new registration or a transfer of ownership, the new owner will be mailed
a fancy registration certificate for their new animal. If the animal is a
cow with a calf at side, we do not typically pay for the registration of the
calf but are happy to help the new owner through this process.

There are two primary longhorn registries, the Texas Longhorn
Breeders Association of America (TLBAA) and the International Texas Longhorn
Association (ITLA). The TLBAA was the original registry and celebrated its
50th anniversary in 2014. We are members of both registries but have chosen
to register our cattle with TLBAA. Some of our cows are dual registered, and
we are happy to register cattle purchased from us into the registry of the
buyer’s choosing. We are also happy to set up a three month promotional
membership for them with the TLBAA. This promotional membership will include
the Texas Longhorn Trails magazine.

Registering the cattle requires filling out paperwork showing
the animal’s name, breeder, owner, sex, sire, dam, birthdate, color,
and branding information. We are happy to help customers figure out this paperwork
when it comes time to register their calves. Each longhorn breeder wanting
to raise registered cattle will need to brand each of his calves before registering
them. Registered longhorns have both a “holding brand” (ranch
brand) and a private herd number brand.

Coming up with your own holding brand can be a lot of fun.
When we bought our first cows, our oldest son Ross was in middle school. He
was really excited about the longhorns and decided to take the lead on designing
our brand. He quickly realized that designing a brand would be easier if we
had an identity to base it on, and “Rocking O Longhorns” was born.
After that, designing the brand almost took care of itself, as he decided
on an O with a semi-circle underneath. Each of our heifers and bull prospects
gets the Rocking O branded on their left hip. They then get a private herd
number branded just below the holding brand. We have chosen to place both
brands on the left hip, but they can also go on the side or the shoulder,
and on either side of the animal. Depending on your squeeze chute configuration,
you may decide that one of these other locations is preferable to the left
hip.

There are a variety of private herd numbering systems, but
we feel it is generally useful to use the number to provide an indication
of the age of the animal. Years later you will be glad that you branded a
heifer this way when you are asked her age by a guest and can’t quite
remember it off the top of your head. We use the same numbering system as
our friend Bob Coffee used when he sold us our first three longhorns. Our
heifers get either a 3 or 4 digit herd number, using the following system:
(month of birth/number heifer born that month/last digit of year of birth).
For example, a heifer numbered 123 was our second heifer born in January of
2003 or 2013, and one numbered 1214 was our first heifer born in December
of 2004 or 2014.

We purchased our branding irons from Husky branding irons.
There are three types of branding irons: fire brands, electric brands, and
freeze brands. We use electric brands with 4” letters and strongly recommend
them if you have a place to plug in your brands by your squeeze chute. When
we wean a group of calves, we take them to the vet for vaccinations, and we
brand them while he has them in the squeeze chute. This does slow the vet
down some in giving his shots, but he is happy to help us out. We recommend
checking with your vet prior to taking the calves to see if he is fine with
you branding them at his office. It is likely that he or one of his vet tech’s
would be willing to do the branding if you do not feel comfortable doing so
yourself. After giving the branding iron time to heat up, you need to firmly
press it against the calf’s hide for three to five seconds.

How
many cows to get
There can be a variety of factors that go into deciding how many cows you
should purchase for your herd, but the right number for most breeders is typically
somewhere between 1) the minimum number required by their county for agricultural
status for tax purposes and 2) the maximum number that their land can be expected
to support.

1) Well intentioned people can sometimes give false information
about the number of head required for an ag exemption. Unless you have received
information from someone you know you can trust on the subject, our recommendation
is to check directly with your county office. Most Texas counties have information
on their website about the required number of cattle to receive agricultural
status. This number will be based on your acreage and possibly on whether
or not you have improved pasture. There is typically a minimum number of head
regardless of property size, which is important to pay attention to if you
have a smaller property. From what we have seen, this number is typically
around 3. In most counties, the number of cattle required for agricultural
status will be fewer than the land is actually capable of supporting in a
year of average rainfall.

2) The number of cattle a piece of property can be expected
to support is mainly a function of average rainfall, soil quality, and grass
quality. If possible, it is best to talk to an experienced rancher in your
area about the number of cattle he thinks your land is capable of supporting.
We recommend that new breeders consider starting with fewer cattle than they
think their land will support (provided they get enough for an ag exemption).
It is easier to buy more cattle in the future than it is to sell off part
of your new herd when you realize your land won’t support them all.
You can enhance your land’s ability to support cattle by irrigating,
fertilizing, or planting improved grasses. These are all expensive undertakings,
but you may find one or more worthwhile for your situation. You can also stretch
your land’s capacity by supplementing the diets of your cattle with
hay, grain or molasses tubs.

Gestation
Period
The expected gestation period for cattle is 283 days. Here is a helpful gestation
table:

Lean
Beef
Longhorns are known not only for efficiency on grass but also for having particularly
lean beef. They have been a popular choice for those wanting to raise and
market lean, grass-fed beef. Here is a chart from a study done at Texas A&M
in the late 80’s showing the leanness of longhorn beef relative to other
meats.

Colorations
of LonghornsThe variety of beautiful colors and color patterns within the
breed has probably hooked more people on longhorns than any other of their many
attributes. There is no right or wrong when it comes to your favorite coloration,
but the most marketable colors and patterns tend to be the ones where it looks
like the cow was attacked by someone wielding an open paint can or two. If it
is flashy and unique, people will want it.

Our good friend and fellow breeder David Hillis is one of the leading evolutionary
biologists in the world. He has published several articles on the various colorations
of Texas Longhorns and the genetics behind them. You can read these articles
on his Double
Helix Ranch website (http://doublehelixranch.com/color.html).